The archive of the Erfurt branch comprises around 4,500 linear meters of files, around 600 linear meters of index cards - approx. 1.7 million - as well as numerous photos, films, slides and pre-destroyed material. The documented period extends from 1945 to 1990. The Stasi Records Archive offers the opportunity to explore a part of GDR history at first hand. Various films, lectures and guided tours through the archive and the Information and Documentation Center provide an initial overview of the State Security and go into greater depth on the individual topics. To make this offer more vivid, the Stasi files are used as concrete examples. Furthermore, the exhibition „GDR Security Area“ can be visited in our Information and Documentation Center. Individual guided tours are possible by prior arrangement.